Delights of Chiang Dao

 Just an hour north of Chiang Mai is the community of Chiang Dao, a gateway to trekking in the mountains and a hub for elephant camps. Chiang Dao is where the rice field meets the jungle and home to a weekly market full of ethnic charm. Villagers from miles around head for Chiang Dao every Tuesday to shop for essentials and trade their homegrown harvests. 

Chiang Dao: Elephants, ferns and crispy grasshoppers

Just an hour north of Chiang Mai is the community of Chiang Dao, a gateway to trekking in the mountains and a hub for elephant camps. Chiang Dao is where the rice field meet the jungle and home to a weekly market full of ethnic charm. Villagers from miles around head for Chiang Dao every Tuesday to shop for essentials and trade their home grown harvests.

The market stretches for a kilometre through the main street. Most vendors are selling fabrics or fried food, like deep fried bananas or spicy fish cakes (todd man pla). My favourite patch is a shady corner where charming old ladies sell rare forest foods from deeper in the hills. Tree ferns and wild greens are easy to find, but keep a close eye out for wasp larvae, river crabs, edible orchids and crunchy fried grasshoppers.





In the cooler months, the roads leading into Chiang Dao are thick with roadside stalls selling Khao Lam, sticky rice stuffed into bamboo sections. Red beans and mushrooms with wild herbs are used to add flavour to the rice, and the bamboo pieces are roasted over hot coals so the contents inside steam themselves to completion.



Most tourists to Chiang Dao get as far as the elephant camps and then head home to Chiang Mai, but some head deeper into the hills and spend a few nights in bamboo guesthouses. It's much cooler after dark than down in Chiang Mai, and you need to rug up a little. Mist often fills the valleys in the first light, until the sun comes out to brighten the jungle.

As a guest of some hill tribes or a day visit from Chiang Mai the charms of Chiang Dao are worth your time. You'll need a break from the temples and fancy night market eats of Chiang Mai anyway.

Like these images? You can join a photo tour with Ewen Bell and take your own.

Thai elephants, elephant shows and elephant camps in Thailand

Amazing Thailand in synonymous with elephants. So when you travel to Thailand make sure to catch one of the many excellent elephant shows around the country.

An elephant whispers sweet muddy things in my ear ...

Asian elephants are different to African elephants in that they are far more obedient and can be trained, hence their endearing ability to pick up the amazing skills with which they thrill and delight audiences. And anyone who has ever watched Dumbo loves baby elephants, too, right?

Many of these camps also offer elephant trekking (a 5 minute tootle around the track or for several hours), mahout courses (in which you can learn to ride and control an elephant, learn mounting and dismounting techniques, key commands (they have four main gears - front, back, left and right), and even how to take an elephant's temperature.) The latter involves rubber gloves.

So here is a list of the best shows, camps and trekking with Thai elephants: 


Chiang Rai: 
Anantara Golden Triangle Hotel
Four Seasons Tented Camp

Chiang Mai:
Mae Sa elephant camp
Mae Taeng elephant camp
Chiang Dao

Lampang:
Thai Elephant Conservation Centre

Phuket:
Siam Safari

Koh Samui:
Namuang Safari Park

Pattaya:
Elephant Village Pattaya

Ayutthaya (only one hour from Bangkok):
Royal Elephant Kraal and Village

This list is just a start. Especially in northern Thailand, there are dozens of smaller ones doing great work in conservation. Please let me know and I can update this list.

You might want to check TripAdvisor for the most popular rated show in the area you're going to.

Oh, one final thing. It's easier to remember the Thai word for elephant: Chang. That's because these animals are named after Thailand's most famous beer, jing jing.


Question: where was the most fun Thai elephant show you've been to?